Sunday Bloody Sunday is a 1983 anti-war anthem by U2, serving as the opening track of their album War. The song addresses the violence of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, specifically referencing the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, where British soldiers killed 14 unarmed civil rights protesters, as well as the 1920 Bloody Sunday shooting in Dublin.
- Inspiration and Writing: The direct impetus for the lyrics was a heated debate between U2 manager Paul McGuinness and IRA supporters in New York City in 1982. While the band initially wrote more politically charged lyrics condemning the IRA, they revised the song to take a nonpartisan, humane stance against the cycle of violence.
- Musical Composition: The track is noted for its militaristic drumbeat and harsh guitar riff, which guitarist The Edge developed during a period of personal doubt. The arrangement was completed with an electric fiddle part by Steve Wickham, adding a traditional Irish musical element to the rock sound.
- Performance and Intent: To prevent the song from being co-opted as a militant anthem, Bono famously introduced it at live concerts with the phrase, “This is not a rebel song.” The lyrics focus on the horror of war and the desire for peace rather than taking sides in the sectarian conflict.
[Intro]
Yeah, mm-hm
[Verse 1]
I can’t believe the news today
Oh, I can’t close my eyes and make it go away
[Refrain]
How long? How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long?
‘Cause tonight
We can be as one, tonight
[Verse 2]
Broken bottles under children’s feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won’t heed the battle call
It puts my back up, puts my back up against the wall
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Oh, let’s go
[Verse 3]
And the battle’s just begun
There’s many lost, but tell me, who has won?
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters torn apart
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
[Refrain]
How long? How long must we sing this song?
How long? How long?
‘Cause tonight
We can be as one, tonight
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Tonight, tonight)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (Tonight, tonight)
Come get some
[Bridge]
Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
I’ll wipe your tears away
I’ll wipe your tears away
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (I’ll wipe your bloodshot eyes)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, oh
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, oh
Yeah, let’s go
[Verse 4]
And it’s true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
The real battle just begun (Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
To claim the victory Jesus won (Sunday, Bloody Sunday) on
[Chorus]
Sunday, Bloody Sunday, yeah, yeah
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
